A network storage method, a switch device, and a controller are provided. The method is applicable to a controller based on OpenFlow protocol. The method includes: determining, by the controller, that a first switching equipment is to cache data requested by a first data packet; and notifying, by the controller, the first switching equipment to cache the data requested by the first data packet, and notifying the first switching equipment to establish a first flow table entry according to issued match information corresponding to the first data packet and issued action instruction information corresponding to the first data packet, wherein the action instruction information corresponding to the first data packet is adapted to instruct the first switching equipment to forward the data cached in the first switching equipment and requested by the first data packet.
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1. A first switching equipment, wherein the first switching equipment is based on OpenFlow protocol, and comprises: a receiver, a processor, a sender and a memory; and wherein the receiver is adapted to receive a first data packet; the receiver is adapted to receive a first notification from a controller, and send the first notification to the processor, wherein the first notification is used to instruct the first switching equipment to cache data requested by the first data packet, and instruct the first switching equipment to establish a first flow table entry according to issued match information corresponding to the first data packet and issued action instruction information corresponding to the first data packet, wherein the action instruction information corresponding to the first data packet is used to instruct the first switching equipment to forward the data cached in the first switching equipment and requested by the first data packet; the processor is adapted to receive the first notification sent by the receiver, and establish the first flow table entry according to the match information corresponding to the first data packet and the action instruction information corresponding to the first data packet, wherein the match information and the action instruction information are issued by the controller; the sender is adapted to forward the first data packet to a target network element corresponding to the first data packet; the receiver is further adapted to receive data corresponding to the first data packet, wherein the data corresponding to the first data packet is returned by the target network element corresponding to the first data packet; and send the data corresponding to the first data packet to the memory; the memory is adapted to receive the data corresponding to the first data packet and cache the received data corresponding to the first data packet; the receiver is further adapted to receive a second data packet sent by a network device; the sender is further adapted to forward cached data corresponding to the second data packet to the network device, in a case that a flow table entry corresponding to the second data packet exist in the first switching equipment; after the receiver receives the second data packet sent by the network device, the sender is further adapted to send the second data packet to the controller, in a case that the flow table entry corresponding to the second data packet does not exist in the first switching equipment; the receiver is further adapted to receive a second notification from the controller, and send the second notification to the sender, wherein the second notification is adapted to instruct the first switching equipment to forward the second data packet to a second switching equipment, wherein the data corresponding to the second data packet is cached in the second switching equipment; the sender is further adapted to receive the second notification sent by the receiver, and send the second data packet to the second switching equipment according to the second notification; the receiver is further adapted to receive the data corresponding to the second data packet and sent by the second switching equipment, and send the data corresponding to the second data packet to the sender; the sender is further adapted to receive the data corresponding to the second data packet and sent by the receiver, and forward the received data corresponding to the second data packet to the network device; the second notification is further used to instruct the first switching equipment to cache data requested by the second data packet, and instruct the first switching equipment to establish a second flow table entry according to match information corresponding to the second data packet and action instruction information corresponding to the second data packet, wherein the action instruction information corresponding to the second data packet is used to instruct the second switching equipment to forward the data cached in the second switching equipment and requested by the second data packet; and the memory is further adapted to cache the data corresponding to the second data packet, after the receiver receives the data corresponding to the second data packet and sent by the second switching equipment.
An OpenFlow-based switch caches data to reduce network latency. When the switch receives a first data packet, it's instructed by a controller to cache the corresponding data and create a flow table entry. This entry tells the switch to forward the cached data for future requests. If a flow table entry doesn't exist for a new (second) data packet, the packet is sent to the controller. The controller might then instruct the switch to get the data from another (second) switch that has it cached. After receiving the data from the second switch, the first switch caches it and forwards it to the requesting device, also creating a flow table entry.
2. The first switching equipment according to claim 1 , wherein the sender is further adapted to forward the first data packet to the controller, in a case that a flow table entry corresponding to the first data packet does not exist in the first switching equipment.
The OpenFlow-based switch, as described previously, initially forwards a data packet to the controller if no matching flow table entry exists. The controller then decides how to handle the packet, potentially instructing the switch to cache the corresponding data from a target network element and create a flow table entry for future, faster access. This differs from the prior description in that the initial handling when the packet is unrecognised is specifically stated.
3. A network storage method applicable to a first switching equipment based on OpenFlow protocol, the method comprising: receiving, by the first switching equipment, a first data packet; receiving, a first notification from a controller, and sending the first notification to a processor, wherein the first notification is used to instruct the first switching equipment to cache data requested by the first data packet, and instruct the first switching equipment to establish a first flow table entry according to issued match information corresponding to the first data packet and issued action instruction information corresponding to the first data packet, wherein the action instruction information corresponding to the first data packet is used to instruct the first switching equipment to forward the data cached in the first switching equipment and requested by the first data packet; receiving the first notification sent by a receiver, and establishing the first flow table entry according to the match information corresponding to the first data packet and the action instruction information corresponding to the first data packet, wherein the match information and the action instruction information are issued by the controller; forwarding the first data packet to a target network element corresponding to the first data packet; receiving data corresponding to the first data packet, wherein the data corresponding to the first data packet is returned by the target network element corresponding to the first data packet, and send data corresponding to the first data packet to a memory; receiving the data corresponding to the first data packet and caching the received data corresponding to the first data packet; receiving a second data packet sent by a network device; forwarding cached data corresponding to the second data packet to the network device, in a case that a flow table entry corresponding to the second data packet exist in the first switching equipment; after receiving the second data packet sent by the network device, sending the second data packet to the controller, in a case that the flow table entry corresponding to the second data packet does not exist in the first switching equipment; receiving a second notification from the controller, and sending the second notification to a sender, wherein the second notification is adapted to instruct the first switching equipment to forward the second data packet to a second switching equipment, wherein the data corresponding to the second data packet is cached in the second switching equipment; receiving the second notification sent by the receiver, and sending the second data packet to the second switching equipment according to the second notification; receiving the data corresponding to the second data packet and sent by the second switching equipment, and sending data corresponding to the second data packet to the sender; receiving the data corresponding to the second data packet and sent by the receiver, and forwarding the received data corresponding to the second data packet to the network device; wherein the second notification is further used to instruct the first switching equipment to cache data requested by the second data packet, and instruct the first switching equipment to establish a second flow table entry according to match information corresponding to the second data packet and action instruction information corresponding to the second data packet, wherein the action instruction information corresponding to the second data packet is used to instruct the second switching equipment to forward the data cached in the second switching equipment and requested by the second data packet; and caching the data corresponding to the second data packet, after receiving the data corresponding to the second data packet and sent by the second switching equipment.
An OpenFlow network storage method implemented by a switch caches data to minimize latency. The switch receives a data packet and a notification from a controller to cache the data, creating a flow table entry that includes forwarding instructions. If a new data packet arrives and a matching flow table exists, the cached data is forwarded. If no flow table entry is present, the packet is sent to the controller. The controller might direct the switch to retrieve cached data from another switch. After receiving that data, the original switch caches it and forwards it to the device requesting the data, including creating another flow table entry.
4. The method according to claim 3 , wherein before the receiving, by the first switching equipment, a first notification from a controller, the method further comprises: forwarding, by the first switching equipment, the first data packet to the controller, in a case that a flow table entry corresponding to the first data packet does not exist in the first switching equipment.
The network storage method where a switch caches data based on controller instructions, as previously described, begins with the switch forwarding a data packet to the controller if no existing flow table entry matches the packet. The controller subsequently instructs the switch on caching the data and creating appropriate flow table entries to efficiently serve subsequent requests. This defines the initial step when a previously unknown packet is encountered.
5. The method according to claim 3 , further comprising: forwarding, by the first switching equipment, cached data corresponding to the second data packet to the network device, in a case that the flow table entry corresponding to the second data packet exists in the first switching equipment.
In the network storage method of caching data within an OpenFlow switch, the switch forwards cached data to a network device when a flow table entry corresponding to a received data packet is found. This enables faster data retrieval for repeated requests, bypassing the need to fetch the data from the original source, and improves overall network performance.
6. The method according to claim 5 , wherein after the receiving, by the first switching equipment, a second data packet sent by a network device, the method further comprises: sending, by the first switching equipment, the second data packet to the controller, in a case that the flow table entry corresponding to the second data packet does not exist in the first switching equipment; sending, by the first switching equipment, the second data packet to the second switching equipment according to the second notification, wherein the second notification is adapted to instruct the first switching equipment to forward the second data packet to a second switching equipment, and wherein the data corresponding to the second data packet is cached in the second switching equipment; receiving, by the first switching equipment, the data corresponding to the second data packet and sent by the second switching equipment; and forwarding, by the first switching equipment, the received data corresponding to the second data packet to the network device.
Within the network storage method, if a switch receives a second data packet and there's no existing flow table entry, it forwards the packet to the controller. The controller then sends a notification instructing the switch to get the data from a second switch, which has the data cached. The first switch forwards the packet to the second switch, receives the data in return, and forwards that data to the original requesting network device.
7. A non-transitory computer storage medium comprising a computer executable instruction, wherein the computer executable instruction is adapted to perform a network storage method applicable to a first switching equipment based on OpenFlow protocol, wherein the network storage method comprises: receiving, a first data packet; receiving, a first notification from a controller, and sending the first notification to a processor, wherein the first notification is used to instruct the first switching equipment to cache data requested by the first data packet, and instruct the first switching equipment to establish a first flow table entry according to issued match information corresponding to the first data packet and issued action instruction information corresponding to the first data packet, wherein the action instruction information corresponding to the first data packet is used to instruct the first switching equipment to forward the data cached in the first switching equipment and requested by the first data packet; receiving the first notification sent by a receiver, and establishing the first flow table entry according to the match information corresponding to the first data packet and the action instruction information corresponding to the first data packet, wherein the match information and the action instruction information are issued by the controller; forwarding the first data packet to a target network element corresponding to the first data packet; receiving data corresponding to the first data packet, wherein the data corresponding to the first data packet is returned by the target network element corresponding to the first data packet; and send data corresponding to the first data packet to a memory; receiving data corresponding to the first data packet and caching the received data corresponding to the first data packet; receiving a second data packet sent by a network device; forwarding cached data corresponding to the second data packet to the network device, in a case that a flow table entry corresponding to the second data packet exist in the first switching equipment; after receiving the second data packet sent by the network device, sending the second data packet to the controller, in a case that the flow table entry corresponding to the second data packet does not exist in the first switching equipment; receiving a second notification from the controller, and sending the second notification to a sender, wherein the second notification is adapted to instruct the first switching equipment to forward the second data packet to a second switching equipment, wherein the data corresponding to the second data packet is cached in the second switching equipment; receiving the second notification sent by the receiver, and sending the second data packet to the second switching equipment according to the second notification; receiving the data corresponding to the second data packet and sent by the second switching equipment, and sending data corresponding to the second data packet to the sender; receiving data corresponding to the second data packet and sent by the receiver, and forwarding the received data corresponding to the second data packet to the network device; wherein the second notification is further used to instruct the first switching equipment to cache data requested by the second data packet, and instruct the first switching equipment to establish a second flow table entry according to match information corresponding to the second data packet and action instruction information corresponding to the second data packet, wherein the action instruction information corresponding to the second data packet is used to instruct the second switching equipment to forward the data cached in the second switching equipment and requested by the second data packet; and caching the data corresponding to the second data packet, after receiving the data corresponding to the second data packet and sent by the second switching equipment.
A non-transitory computer storage medium stores instructions to perform a network storage method for an OpenFlow switch. The method includes receiving a data packet, receiving instructions from a controller to cache the corresponding data, and establishing a flow table entry for future forwarding of the cached data. If a new data packet arrives and a flow table entry exists, the cached data is forwarded. If not, the packet is sent to the controller, which might instruct the switch to retrieve cached data from another switch. The switch then caches this data, forwards it, and creates a flow table entry.
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March 26, 2015
June 20, 2017
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